Dreaming of You
by Kitten Kisses
Summary: [EVERY GENRE] Back when Kenshin was living at the dojo, Misao was moping about Aoshi, and Yahiko was annoying, did you ever wonder what everyone dreamt about? What strange, disturbing dreams would the Kenshin cast have?
1. Default Chapter

Dreaming of You  
  
Chapter 1  
  
By:: Kitten Kisses, aka Okashira Misao  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
Explanations, and Author Ramblings. Skip it if you don't want to read it.  
  
Hello everyone. This is Kitten Kisses, back with another story!! Heehee, I've always got the most far-fetched ideas, and this one is it! It's hard to explain in the short amount of space that us author's are getting for a summary, but here's what this ficcy will be about! ^.~  
  
Okay, this is MEIJI Japan-set. ^.^ Back when Kenshin was living at the dojo, Misao was moping about Aoshi, and Yahiko was daydreaming about Tsubame, have you ever wondered what everyone dreamt about? No, not just Kenshin about Kaoru, or Misao about Aoshi. For real, what does everyone dream about? This fic will have EVERYONE in it. Every single person that I can remember. And that includes Shishio, Yumi, Soujirou, and Gohei. ^_^ And Misao won't always dream romantic dreams about Aoshi, Kenshin won't dream every dream about his Miss Kaoru, and Sanosuke won't always dream about the fox-doctor at the clinic.  
  
Well now! I bet you're sick of my blabbering and want me to get on with the story all read! Lol, by all means read on ff.net people!  
  
The first pairing is my personal favorite!! ^.^ But don't worry, there'll be lots of other pairings too.......*pout* Heehee!  
  
FANFICTION.NET ALL SET?! (only if the site doesn't overload.......lol)  
  
READY?!  
  
READ!  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
Dreaming of You  
  
Chapter One- That's Enough For Me  
  
Paring- Aoshi and Misao :::: From Misao's POV (point of view)  
  
Genre- Romance/Humor/slight angst  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
I am walking. I know not where, but somewhere in this strange place, my feet are moving, and a smile tugs at my face. For a moment, I wonder why my arms are not swinging with the slight motion of my movement, but then my smile widens.  
  
I'm going to the temple to serve tea to my Aoshi-sama.  
  
I know I love him. No matter what everyone says, or what everyone believes....... I've always loved my Aoshi-sama. It's not a silly childhood crush as others would say, or just an infatuation. Sure, I know he is good-looking. He always has been.  
  
My Aoshi-sama.  
  
Only in my dreams is he mine. But still, I consider him mine in everyday life. For no one else has attempted to lay claim on him except for me. And that's most definitely a good thing.  
  
I open the door with my elbow, so as to not disrupt the tea sitting on the tray I am carrying. The water is hot- scalding- and if it happened to fall from the tray onto me....... I shudder to think of what might happen.  
  
I close the shoji shut with my foot, almost loosing my balance once or twice. But I smile my usual genki smile nonetheless and walk carefully on to where I know Aoshi-sama is.  
  
He seems to always be sitting in the same place every day. I wonder if he gets tired of meditating day in and day out. But it really is none of my business- and even though I want to know desperately, I don't ask.  
  
I've always had the fantasies as a child. You probably know what I mean. Being swept off my feet by the man I loved so desperately. But it hadn't happened- yet. And I used to love to daydream about somehow getting into serious trouble- being kidnapped or beaten near-to-death- and of course, in my daydream....... My dear Aoshi-sama always came to save me from the evil villains and he'd always, always kissed me.  
  
To many people it might sound silly for a 17 year old girl to dream about immature things like that.......but.......I'd been waiting for so long. I'd even decided that I didn't need for my Aoshi-sama to declare his everlasting love to me- so long as I received one small kiss.  
  
It had always been my dream.  
  
For him to kiss me once, at least. You see, to me, a kiss will be the best I will probably ever get from Aoshi-sama......if that. And sometimes, behind my genki smile....... I hide a frown. Or a strangled sob that will escape later. Because I'd been disappointed far too many times.  
  
But now I wasn't afraid. As long as I was able to see my Aoshi-sama at least several times a week, I don't care. I mean, I don't care if he kisses me, or if he ever proclaims his undying love to me. Because seeing him and loving him one-sided- me to him- will be enough.  
  
I stand outside the door to where I know Aoshi-sama is, and my foot automatically opens the shoji with my foot. It's harder to close than to open, and I can feel my face flush with embarrassment as I try to close it with only one foot.  
  
Of course, my Aoshi-sama doesn't say anything. Perhaps it is because he doesn't wish to embarrass me. But one part of my mind- my intelligent part- tells me that it's because he never says anything. And that.......he doesn't care.  
  
Doesn't care.......  
  
It's like a stinging blow to my self-esteem and pride. What would make him care? Would he care if I left? What about if I died? I swallowed sharply, and closed my eyes. He had to care if I died. He just had to.  
  
And even though I take a few minutes to gather my bearings.......Aoshi-sama waits patiently for his tea. I had always thought that Aoshi-sama was a patient man, and I think he still is today. He had never once reprimanded me because I waited a few minutes after I stepped into his domain.  
  
And it always takes me a few minuets to gather my bearings before I can make up my Aoshi-sama's tea. It really pains me to see him sit there, every day, day after day, and do nothing but stare. What good is staring? What will it gain him?  
  
Peace of mind perhaps?  
  
I doubt it. My Aoshi-sama isn't wearing a mask as everyone thinks. Oh yes, he has a wall built around himself, but I understand it now. The wall is there to protect what little soul he has left. What little heart, what little soul, and what little sanity.  
  
Because if he protects it, it can grow and blossom again.  
  
And I can wait till then. Even if it takes an eternity or longer.  
  
I kneel near Aoshi-sama and start to prepare his tea. I'm not sure why he loves tea the way he does, but.......I think it helps.  
  
Me and him.  
  
The both of us.  
  
I get to see him every day, and he gets to drink hot tea whenever he wishes it. All he has to do is call- he knows that. But I think that he is afraid to ask for too much, as if....... as if we will loathe him suddenly for being a burden.  
  
I'll never loathe my Aoshi-sama.  
  
Not in forever.  
  
I try to look at his face, to see what he is thinking, but his eyes are closed. They are usually closed, but I don't mind.  
  
He looks cute like that.  
  
I can feel my face heat up with the thought, but I push it down into my soul to save for later. Later, I'll relive now and picture his face in my mind. I don't want to drool in his tea, after all.  
  
Everyone knows that my Aoshi-sama is a handsome man. You would have to be beyond blind not to see that. He is very handsome indeed. And I like everything about the way he looks. I wonder sometimes if he knows how cute- no gorgeous- he really is.  
  
But that is not why I love him, though him being attractive has a hand in the matter.  
  
I love him because of who he is inside. He's more than just a man. He's hardened and seemingly stuffy at times, but it wasn't entirely his fault.  
  
And I don't blame him for shutting himself up.  
  
Inside, I still believe that my Aoshi-sama has a smile. Though it won't burst forth by impatient coaxing. I won't rest until my Aoshi-sama smiles a true smile. Not from the mouth, but a smile that reaches from the heart into his eyes.  
  
If life was a road, I'd probably be off in the forest- searching for Aoshi- sama's smile.  
  
I pour the tea steadily and hand it to him. There really is no need to be nervous around my Aoshi-sama. He wouldn't hurt me- I know. At least.......not physically.  
  
Though emotionally.......he's done more than hurt me. I'd been scarred.  
  
But he's been forgiven every time, and immediately afterward. Because I love him.  
  
He accepts the tea, and I smile a huge Aoshi-sama genki smile.......just for him. It's the smile I've reserved for him, and I think he knows it. Because his eyes always change, just for an instant. I don't know what happens exactly to them, but I think they look bigger, and more friendly than usual. Maybe it's just me.  
  
But then again, I hope it isn't just my imagination.  
  
I chatter away about everything there is to talk about. I'd long run out of things to say to Aoshi-sama, because....... I never know what he wants to talk about. Not that he ever contributes to the conversation. Well, except for the occasional "Aa" or "Iie". But even they were far in coming.  
  
I talk about the Aoiya, and what Jiya had been up to this morning. I laugh at stupid things, and I can feel my eyes mist up when I tell him that a couple down the street had lost their baby this morning to a serious flu.  
  
And even though I know he doesn't say anything- he is listening. He can feel emotions too, you know. Just like I can be genki. But he tends to cover them up so nobody can tell. Even if you made his favorite food.......you would never know that he enjoyed it more than his least favorite food.  
  
But sometimes.......sometimes I can tell.  
  
And I know he felt a little grief for the mother and father who had lost their baby. The child was only born a few days previously. Children are a special thing. And even if I don't have any in my lifetime I'll still love them.  
  
And I wonder.......does Aoshi-sama like children?  
  
But I don't ask. I'm too afraid. Nervous, if you want to put it that way. It is not as easy to ask Aoshi-sama a question as it seems.  
  
Sometimes he doesn't answer. He'll just sit there in his brownish-colored yukata and meditate some more. Or he'll sip his tea and close his eyes. But then again, maybe he doesn't know the answer to everything.  
  
Of course he doesn't.  
  
So maybe he's thinking about his answers. Maybe he searches inside his soul for the answer to some of my strange and silly questions. But.......then again.......maybe not.  
  
When I was a kid, I wanted to be beautiful. I wanted to be able to defend myself, but also, I wanted to be beautiful for my Aoshi-sama. So that he would not be ashamed of me. Aoshi and I usually didn't go places together.  
  
And I looked down.  
  
Down to my embarrassingly emaciated body. It was most upsetting to look at. I was a woman, but I looked like a little girl. I felt my face flush slightly with the thought. I sure wasn't beautiful.......and it was a disheartening thought.  
  
Because my Aoshi-sama deserves nothing less than beautiful.  
  
My clothes are embarrassing as well, I think. But I can't stand to wear a kimono. What if I was attacked somewhere and had to defend myself? I know I could not do that in a restrictive kimono. And Aoshi-sama won't be there to save me every time I get myself into some stupid jam. And besides, Aoshi-sama hasn't said anything about it to me yet. But I think that if he ever asks me to change out of my improper shorts, I will in a heartbeat- if it pleases him, because he deserves to be happy.  
  
I sigh and my eyes get unfocused as my thoughts get depressing again. I know I should not have been thinking anything depressing around my Aoshi- sama, because.......he'll know.  
  
And he will think it is his fault- like always.  
  
But some depressing things cannot be helped. My face was still slightly rounded- like a child's- and my body still looks slightly underdeveloped. My face flames with shame when I look at the near non-existent curves.  
  
I will never be beautiful enough for my Aoshi-sama.  
  
My flaming face stays red while my thoughts drift on. I'm short. That is another embarrassing thing about my body. Even Yahiko-chan is taller than me, and he's only 11 years old. The last time I'd measured myself, I was still only 4'9''....... and even that was embarrassing.  
  
My Aoshi-sama needs a tall beautiful woman who will look nice with him. He doesn't want a short tomboyish little girl.......with no figure except a bean pole.  
  
I can feel my too-genki grin fading, and it is slowly being replaced with a look of regret. If I had only obeyed Omasu and Okon when I was younger. They had tried to stuff me in a kimono when I was only eight years old. But I had refused saying that 'My Aoshi-sama didn't tell me to, so I'm not going to!'. I think that was a mistake, because surely, he wanted a woman who is beautiful and wears traditional clothes.  
  
Aoshi-sama's teacup being set on the tray shook me out of my angsty thoughts. I believe he set it down a little more noisily than was needed. But.......I am thankful for the distraction. Now that he is done, I can go back to the Aoiya an either clean, train, or take a bath. I think I'll train, because one day, I want to train with my Aoshi-sama.  
  
So I have to become stronger. Right now, he would refuse, saying that I'm not strong enough, and that he'll hurt me. I know he wouldn't hurt me on purpose.......but I want him to believe in me. At least a little bit. Besides, my Aoshi-sama didn't hit women if he could help it.  
  
And I wanted to go all-out against him. But he would go soft on me.  
  
I blink once, twice, and look up at my Aoshi-sama. For once, his eyes are open, and he's watching me with a guarded gaze. I smile reassuringly at him, but I think he knows it's fake.  
  
"You should go home Misao," he says slowly, guardedly.  
  
My smile falters, but I nod anyway. Inside, I am rejoicing. I love the way he says my name. It sounds.......pretty when he says it. But just barely. And he was right. It was getting late.......almost evening now, and Kyoto isn't exactly the safest place to be in the middle of the night.  
  
So he did care, at least.......a little bit.  
  
I smile my special Aoshi-sama-smile, and I can see that look in his eyes for only a brief second.  
  
"Do you know when you will return Aoshi-sama?" I ask, picking up the tray.  
  
"Late," he answers.  
  
"All right," I smile, stepping towards the door. "I will tell the others."  
  
"Don't wait up for me tonight Misao," he tells me.  
  
He can probably feel my shock. He knows?! Usually, I stay up at night, waiting for him to come back from his meditation. I love to hear his step on the ground outside my door. And sometimes- once in a while- he stops outside of my door for a few seconds.  
  
He always moves on, of course. But for the time he is there, I am happy. My eyes widen. He is planning on coming back to the Aoiya, ne?! I turn around sharply, my breath catching in my throat.  
  
"A-Aoshi-sama," I stutter. "You are coming back, aren't you?" I wait for his answer, gripping the tray tightly.  
  
"Aa," he answers in the affirmative.  
  
I sigh with relief, letting out a breath of air I didn't know I'd been holding. I'd always been afraid he would leave me again. My eyes cloud over as I remember when I had awakened one morning to find him gone.  
  
And he hadn't come back for eight years.  
  
That is my biggest phobia. When he first returned to the Aoiya after the fight with Shishio, I used to literally cry and shake every night with the fear that if I fell asleep.......he would leave. Again.  
  
And sometimes, I still shake and cry at night with the same trepidation that when I awake, he'll be gone.  
  
That is why I wait up for him most nights.  
  
I nod again, my genki Aoshi-sama-grin back firmly back in place and take my leave. But before I shut the shoji, I can hear him whisper.  
  
I have sharp hearing, and I suppose that it was because of my training as a ninja that I could catch his words. And I'm not sorry I heard them.  
  
"Misao, if I was to leave, you would be the first one to know......."  
  
And I slide the door shut and leave the building, my ki simply radiating happiness. I hope my Aoshi-sama knows how happy he has made me with that statement. I'll still fret and worry about him leaving, but for now.......that was enough.  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
I open my eyes slowly, and immediately feel something wet on my face. I'm not crying, am I? I feel my face and sit up. My futon has a big wet stain near my head. I feel the corners of my mouth and frown.  
  
Not again.......  
  
Every time I dream about Aoshi-sama mediating with his eyes closed, this happens. I suppose it's because he looks so cute like that. I really wish I could make it stop. What if Aoshi-sama comes in to wake me one day and sees me.......  
  
Drooling.......in my sleep.  
  
Ugh.......  
  
And I feel my face heat up with embarrassment. Just then, the shoji to my room slides open to reveal Aoshi-sama.  
  
"It's time for breakfast Misao," he tells me softly, and then he's gone, shutting the thin door behind him.  
  
I immediately slap on my genki Aoshi-sama-grin and get dressed. I love the way he says my name.  
  
For now it's enough.  
  
But I still want that kiss.......  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
^.^ The end! The other chapters will only have a/n at the end (I think) and they'll be short.  
  
Actually, this would make a lovely one-shot, but I don't think I'll make it one. Then again, I might. Considering it's all a dream and everything....... *sigh*  
  
I had to edit this TWICE to get all the past-tense pieces out. Lol, I'm trying to make this 1st person narrative, present tense, as if it's really happening. ^.~  
  
Well, I want to know what you think. Please enlighten me! I'm not sure what to think! Except that I'd better write a new chapter to "Little Is Much" if I want to live. I've kept the reviewers waiting for over a week.......*hangs head* So I guess I'd better go!! Heehee!  
  
~~Okashira Misao  
  
~~~~*Review please and tell me what you think. Even a two-word review will suffice. I just want to know exactly how many people will be reading this. I don't want to disappoint anyone, after all. And believe me. I read/reread every review. I want to know what the READER wants!! ^.^  
  
More Author Ramblings and explanations. Skip 'em if you want to, but there's some interesting facts/info in here. *shrugs* not that you care.  
  
I know it sounds far-fetched, and hard to accomplish, but I just thought up this idea the other day and had to write it.  
  
Maybe Kaoru dreams about Yahiko spilling the tea on the floor, or Aoshi dreams about a tee-shirt all night. And maybe, for all we know, Tokio dreams of Saitou's bangs all night long. Of course, this fic is every single genre except for poetry/spiritual/stupidity. J/K, there will be some humor dreams, angst dreams, and terror/horror nightmares. But in the end, everyone wakes up. With drool on their pillow, tears streaming down their faces, or a bloody lip that they'd bitten during restless sleep.  
  
I am rating this PG-13 just to be safe. Sanosuke's thoughts, cuss words, and the occasional perverted comment from some man or another. No, there won't be a lemon.......*shudders about writing one* But there will be kissing-type scenes. Probably as in depth as I can write them! *grinz*  
  
Now, I know you all love romance, but I want to let you know that there will be some VERY long dreams, some VERY short dreams, some VERY stupid dreams and some VERY annoying cliffhanger dreams! ^.^ I want you all to vote on what genre of dream you would like to see the most of! Angst? (I love it, but it has to END happy.......) What about Action/Adventure? Most likely Romance? Terror/Horror? Blood dripping down the walls.......corpses littering the floor....... Drama? Any 2 particular genre's you'd like to see together? Romance/Humor? Angst/Drama? Maybe three? Angst/Drama/Romance? Let me know okay?  
  
I'm confused as to whether I should write this in 1st person or 3rd. For those who DON'T KNOW, 1st person is with the "I" "Me" "We" kind of stuff. Always from the characters point of view. 3rd is with the "They" or anything in the past tense. ^.^ Like, "They walked down the street" .......that's past tense AND 3rd person. I think that I should probably try for 1st person since 1.) I need to hone my skills writing it since I've only written a small amount of anything 1st person and 2.) it might be easier to understand the characters feelings/actions/etc. But if you'd rather I wrote one in 1st person, the next in 3rd, back to 1st, let me know.  
  
I once dreamed that I was leaving home with a SHOPPING cart. With my whole family, we followed the roads with all of our possessions in a shopping cart. Even my computer. We brought my father's tiller (I dunno why) and a lawnmower. Not to mention that bag of Doritos........ I remember being really upset because we didn't bring the Nintendo Gamecube. I have no idea why, because I never play it anymore.......  
  
Then I had another dream, about leaving my father behind. All of us kids, and my mom, piled into our van and drove away leaving my dad waving by the door....... I don't remember the rest, except waking up crying.......but I still- to this day- don't know why I dreamt something so strange. ^.^  
  
And my brother once dreamt about a pair of shoes all night. They didn't do anything, that's what he said.......  
  
I know this A/N is long, but I want to make as many things clear as I can right now. ^_^ Be prepared for the unexpected, twists and turns, kissing, love, loss and tragedy, wind through the trees.......just be prepared for it. Dreams have strange things happening to them. Have you dreamt about the PAST? What about the FUTURE? Maybe the PRESENT? Maybe Kaoru will dream that she's an executive for a big company. I know- they weren't around back then- but.......right now we dream about the future, correct?  
  
Dreams have always intrigued me. In part, because they can make many different emotions flick through your mind in a single instant. You can dream about the past, present, or future. Or maybe all three in a single night. What music you listen to, what you eat- everything- can influence what you dream about.  
  
I even had a dream about a week ago when Aoshi stuck his tongue out a Misao for some silly gag he'd pulled.  
  
*shrugs* I know I have too many stories, and YES, this story will make it hard for me to continue the rest of my stuff, but nevertheless.......I want to write this. Constructive criticism is more than appreciated, and flames are too, to a certain degree (not too hot!)  
  
I know- they're just dreams. And I know that you're probably wondering WHY you're reading a FANFIC about what the characters DREAM about. Because, after all- they're just dreams. Well, I want to tell you something. There's a reason why they're called dreams. Even if Aoshi and Saitou are stoic people, does NOT mean that their dreams are of blackened skies. For all we know, Saitou could be a leprechaun in his dreams. A person's dreams can tell what they are truly like. For example, if Aoshi had a dream about Misao dying- or leaving him- and he woke up feeling slightly-or completely- saddened, it MEANS something. Maybe he's insecure about her leaving him alone to live through life solo. Or maybe.......he loves her.  
  
No, I'm not a dream analyst....... *scoffs* But I do love to think about dreams. I've dreamt hundreds of dreams in my 16- almost 17- years. Yeah, I'm young....... but who hasn't dreamt that they were Kaoru, Kenshin, Misao or another member of the Kenshin-gumi? I've even dreamt that I was Kagome.  
  
[Yeah, I've got a fascination with anime guys.......so what?]  
  
If you have any neat dreams you'd love to share, do so! I'd love to hear them! Now, all the pairings are going to be traditional. Where there are pairings of course! Mostly in romance/angst/action kind of stuff. There's (obviously) Kenshin/Kaoru, Sano/Megumi, Aoshi/Misao, Saitou/Tokio, Soujirou/his smile (^.~), and a few other thrown-in miscellaneous pairs/couples/people, like Shura or Kenji! ^.^  
  
I think the next chapter will be about Sanosuke and it will be humor. LOL! But slightly romance too, just.......mostly humor. Hahaha! I love romance, but too much of it, and you turn sticky and mushy.......*wink*  
  
Hugs, Kisses, and Love! (if you review.......heh, heh.......)! 


	2. 2

Dreaming of You  
  
Chapter 2  
  
~^~^~^~^+^~^~^~^~  
  
Hey everyone!! *grinz* I'm happy that you all like this story! ^.^ I didn't think anyone would actually read it, but...it seems that ppl are! ^.~ Anywayz, this chapter is going to be from Sanosuke's POV. ^.~ What will Sano dream about? Lol, you'll have to read to find out! ^_^  
  
Genre- Humor/Supernatural  
  
Characters- Mostly everyone. But Sanosuke and Chou show up the most I think.  
  
From Sanosuke's POV  
  
Pairing- None  
  
~^~^~^~^+^~^~^~^~  
  
I look down at my legs.......and scream. What's happened to me?! I try to move my arms forward but nothing happens. What the.......??  
  
I twist my head around and see.......wings?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!  
  
I've turned into a ROOSTER!  
  
Maybe if I hurry I can get the fox doctor and get her to fix me up. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.......  
  
I strut (lol) on my yellow chicken-legs down to the clinic. I believe it would take less time if I was me again. I roll my eyes in my head and continue to walk.  
  
"Hey mama!" a child calls. "Lookie! It's a chicken! Can we eat it for dinner?!"  
  
Uh-oh.......I'd better do something. Uhm.......run? I shake my head and RUN. Well, run as fast as a chicken can. I realize that chickens aren't very fast runners. Fast to attack, but not to run. I don't think I'll ever look at a chicken the same way.  
  
The annoying kid's right behind me, and I decide to just.......attack him! I mean, why not? Some stupid kid runs behind a rooster and expects not to be spurred? I snort and whip around to face the kid behind me. My feathers are ruffled and poofy, and I'm ready to spur him!  
  
What a rush! The kid's currently running back to his 'mommy' to cry and whine about a little.......er.......a few big holes in his legs. He deserved it. Trying to eat Sanosuke Sagara! I won't put up with that!  
  
Damn, this is taking forever. I count pebbles as I walk. It's easy, cause I'm so stinking small. Boy, I hope Jou-chan doesn't find me and decide to have me for dinner. Not that it matters, after all. Though, if I'm to be eaten, I want to taste good.  
  
Therefore, Kenshin should be the one to cook me. Wait a minute!? What am I THINKING?! I don't wanna be eaten! First, they'd pluck me free of feathers, dump me in some boiling water....... I shudder and walk a little bit faster.  
  
I sure hope the kitsuné-sensei can fix me up. My life will suck if she can't. I don't even like thinking about being a chicken for the rest of my short life. Hey, chickens don't live very long.......  
  
Better hurry things up a bit.......  
  
Finally, I'm at the doors to the clinic. Now.......the problem is.......I hafta get inside. I try to use my wings, but that's after I realize I don't have hands. So I use my feet. I am sad to say I am unsuccessful. Someone is coming towards the door. I hide my tiny-chicken self and wait for the door to open. Some ugly geezer walks out with a dorky smile on his face, and I put him on my to-beat-up list. What a moron, I think he must think the fox-doctor is cute.  
  
He's most certainly right.  
  
But he can't have her.  
  
But.......er.......that's to embarrassing to go into too deeply. I think I'd best pay attention. Wait! The door's still open! I wipe the old geezer off of my mental to-beat-up list. He's not so bad- he did leave the door open after all. Even if it WAS an accident.  
  
Oh well.  
  
I dash through the door and run to where I know Megumi will be seated. And my beak falls open when I see what's inside of Megumi's office.  
  
A fox sits on the operation table cleaning her foot. She looks up at me, and I take a step back.  
  
"Hello Sanosuke," she purrs.  
  
"Er.......hi......."  
  
"At least I'm not the only one who's.......changed," she grins. "Tori- atama.......?"  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"My instincts are kicking in......." she growls, and pounces, and I turn to run.  
  
"So are mine!"  
  
Oh this is just great. The fox-doctor is a doctor. This sucks beyond sucking. This is hell. Seven floors below hell. If there is such a thing.  
  
The vicious Megumi-fox is right behind me as I run through town. Ppl turn to stare, but all of the morons just gape and don't bother to help me.  
  
Idiots.......  
  
Just now, I see something coming towards me. It looks like.............a BROOM?!  
  
Wait a minute.......brooms don't move, do they? An old woman's chasing the broom down the street....... This is stupid. Brooms don't run, and old ladies don't chase running brooms. Is she a witch perhaps?  
  
I don't care, I'm too busy trying to run from the fox.  
  
"Hey rooster-head!" the broom shouts. "Hey!!!!"  
  
"WHAT?!" I snap, and turn my head to see Megumi pounce. I dodge and run another direction. Broom-head follows. That's when I notice.......the broom has eyes.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream and run another direction. And turn right back around.  
  
Megumi's standing there with her tongue hanging out.  
  
Why do I get the feeling that she's hungry?  
  
I decide to hide behind the broom-head.  
  
Which is really creepy.  
  
Just so you know.  
  
"This sucks rooster-head. But hey! At least I'm not the only one who's been turned into something.......bizarre. So, do you know this kitsuné? Or can we kill her?"  
  
"Hey!" Megumi protested, looking bewildered for a second.  
  
"Yeah, I know her. I think.......I'm not so sure anymore."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me. You haven't seen a roll of bandages hopping around, have you?"  
  
My eyes widen. "I thought he was DEAD."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," he shrugs. "But I guess not......."  
  
"AHHH!" we scream, dodging the kitsuné that I'm pretty sure is Megumi.  
  
"Back to the dojo!" I pant, running ahead with my wings in disarray.  
  
"Where's that at?!" he asks.  
  
"Uhm.......somewhere that way!"  
  
"You do know who I am, right?!"  
  
"Uhm......."  
  
"I'm CHOU!" he shouts. "Remember?!"  
  
"Oh yeah! Shit!" I duck behind a tree and take off again.  
  
Chou hops behind me.  
  
Which looks really stupid.  
  
But hey, at least the fox won't eat HIM.  
  
At least, I don't think so.  
  
I hope not. A straw dinner.......oh yummy!.......not.  
  
"Almost there!" I yell, and dash up the steps to the dojo.  
  
"Good!" he yelled back. "My feet are getting tired!"  
  
"What FEET?! You're a freaking BROOM!"  
  
"Whatever! MY HANDLES ACHING!"  
  
I crash through the shoji (I hope Jou-chan doesn't get too mad about that) and immediately, a basket lands on me. I squawk and flap around like a moron trying to get out. It doesn't work.  
  
"SHUT UP!" a voice that I recognize as Yahiko yells. "Sano, stop squirming so freakin' much."  
  
I stop flapping and look through the basket to see a perfectly normal Yahiko holding the basket on top of me. And I see a normal Tsubame holding Chou in her hands whilst he struggles to free himself- which makes him look like a MORON.  
  
"Hey Sano, look at this!" Yahiko tells me, and turns the basket around. I see a nice row of cages in the far corner of the room.  
  
And they're filled with animals!  
  
"What?!" I ask no one in particular.  
  
Amazing thing is, I have a strange feeling that I KNOW these animals. In the first cage is a scrawny orange and white kitten. In the second, a raccoon that looks.......ticked off, and in the third, I see a weasel hugging a small block of ice.  
  
This sure is strange.  
  
Tsubame shoves Chou in a cage, and Yahiko shoves me in the one beside it.  
  
Just then a rat comes into the room and crawls into the cage with the weasel and ice block. I wonder if the rat likes ice.  
  
"Weapons are power!" it shouts in a hauntingly familiar voice.  
  
Just then, it clicks. "KANRYUU!"  
  
The weasel shrieks and kicks the rat. "You meanie!" she yells. "You killed my friends and made my Aoshi-sama turn into......." she trails off and looks down at the ice block. "A giant ice cube!" she wails, and kicks Kanryuu again.  
  
It's then that I notice the ice block has eyes. To be more precise, the ice block has Aoshi Shinomori's eyes. So, the weasel was Misao, and the ice block she hugged protectively was Aoshi. I roll my eyes and wait to see what Misao and Aoshi will do to the ugly rat.  
  
"Guns are power!" the rat yells. "POWER!! Mwahahaheheh!"  
  
For some unfortunate reason, Kanryuu's laugh is still the same when he was a.......well.......ugly fool.  
  
Not that he still wasn't one.......but.......  
  
"I hate guns!" Misao yelled, and took one menacing step towards the ugly Kanryuu. His whiskers were all dirty. I wonder if he escaped from an outhouse.  
  
She picked up the ice block high over her head and slammed it down on Kanryuu repetitively. I grin (which is hard because of my beak) wider every time Aoshi comes down on Kanryuu. A sickening 'crunch' is heard every time.  
  
Ah, the power of ice.......  
  
Not that that sentence makes any sense.  
  
Twenty three crunches later, Misao stops and the rat twitches three times before collapsing.  
  
She kicks the rat from her cage and goes to the corner of the cage huggling Aoshi. "I'm so sorry my Aoshi-sama, I didn't want for you to see that!" she cooed. "But he really did deserve it!" She pats the ice block on the head and I roll my eyes. What a dork.  
  
I look at the 'starving' kitten in the first cage. It looks slightly familiar.  
  
"At least he's dead!" the raccoon in the second cage shouts.  
  
"And I didn't have to kill him, de gozaru yo!" the kitten agrees.  
  
Then it clicks. The cat isn't starving, of course, but he still looks like it. Kenshin the starving kitty. Yep. I nod and watch. The raccoon must be Jou-chan. At least she can't cook me up for Sunday dinner.  
  
"I want outta my cage!" Chou screams.  
  
"I don't!" I yell back. "Megumi's right outside the door!!"  
  
I shudder as I hear the howling and scraping outside the door.  
  
"Don't worry Sano," Tsubame reassures me. "We'll catch her."  
  
They push a large cage in front of the shoji and slide it open. Megumi slides into the cage and Tsubame slams the door shut.  
  
"I think she's got rabies," I utter, staring through the bars of my cage.  
  
"Chicken?" Misao's head turns towards me. "I love chicken......."  
  
"Eh heh, heh, heh......." I stutter, retreating to the opposite corner of my cage.  
  
Great, now there are two animals after me.  
  
Soon after I close my eyes to catch my breath, a roll of bandages hop into the room through the ruined shoji. The bandages have eyes. Now THAT'S creepy.  
  
Very, very, very creepy.  
  
But still creepier.............  
  
"HIDE ME!" the bandages yelp, jumping into the nearest cage, which happened to be Misao and Aoshi's.  
  
"Grrr............." an animal growls, and dashes into the room. "Where is he?!" the wolf asks.  
  
"Is that you Saitou?" Kaoru the raccoon asks him.  
  
"Huh? Oh, it's the raccoon girl."  
  
"No kidding."  
  
"I bet YOU did this to us!" Misao yells. "You and your stupid nicknames!"  
  
"Then why are they normal?" He points a paw towards Yahiko and Tsubame.  
  
"Because you never gave them a nickname," I answer.  
  
"Wrong, nobody ever gave them nicknames."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I could really go for a cup of tea," the ice block speaks, and Misao squeals.  
  
"Oh Aoshi-sama! You know I'd get you some tea, but I CAN'T!" she hugs the ice block closer to her and kisses it. Her mouth gets stuck.  
  
"Mmph!" she mumbles, trying to pry her lips from the frozen ice.  
  
RIIIIIPPPP!  
  
I cringe. That's nasty.  
  
"This sucks," I find myself saying.  
  
"It could be worse!" Saitou yawns. "I could be hungry......."  
  
"Yeah, I guess that's true.......heh, heh......." I back farther into the back of my cage- just in case.  
  
"Or you could have fleas, like me!"  
  
Everyone falls anime style with sweatdrops on their feet/paws/claws/broom handles/etc.  
  
"Mrrrr!" another animal calls, and I turn to stare out through the shoji at a.......bull?!  
  
A solid white bull stands there and snorts.  
  
"How could you let this happen baka-deshi?!" he asks.  
  
HIKO?!  
  
"Master!" the Kenshin kitty mews. "You've come to save us!"  
  
"Yeah freaking right," I tell him. "He's a COW."  
  
"No I'm not. I'm a bull. There's a difference."  
  
"There is?" Kaoru wonders.  
  
"Yes. A cow is always female. A steer is a castrated bull. A bull is a fertile male- of which I AM."  
  
"Aren't you, like.......50-something?" I ask him.  
  
"43."  
  
"Didn't you say that five years ago?"  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah......." Misao answers. "You did. I think you're in your sixties. You liar."  
  
"Liar?!" he bellows and lowers his horns.  
  
"Eek! Save me Aoshi-sama!" Misao shrieks, and holds Aoshi up in front of her.  
  
"How?" the ice-block asks. "I'm an ICE BLOCK."  
  
"Good point. I can't hurt a defenseless ice block......." Hiko muses.  
  
Next, a horse runs inside and after that a.......is that an antelope?!  
  
I think I fainted. And I think everyone else did too, cause I can't hear anything.  
  
Anyway, right now, there's an antelope, a horse, and.......is that a flamingo?  
  
The flamingo's hiding behind the horse, and the antelope's trying to talk to the flamingo.  
  
For some strange reason, the antelope sounds familiar.  
  
"Come on Miss Yumi!" the antelope whines.  
  
"No!" the flamingo sticks her tongue out at the antelope, and I think I know who these animals are.  
  
"But I don't like him anymore!" the antelope whines again. "I've changed! I like YOU!"  
  
Didn't Yumi die? I think I know who the antelope is.......ew.......  
  
"Naaahhh!" the flamingo sticks her tongue out at the antelope and hides behind the horse.  
  
The horse just smiles.  
  
"Soujirou?!" I yelp, staring at the horse.  
  
The horse turns his head to look at me, smiling the whole time.  
  
"Kamatari! Leave me alone!" Yumi screams, flapping her wings.  
  
If I looked that stupid when I was flapping my wings....... I must've looked really stupid.  
  
"Come on!" Yahiko screams, and slams a cage over the flamingo.  
  
Soujirou looks at Yahiko disapprovingly.  
  
Oh well.  
  
Tsubame slips a halter over Kamatari.  
  
"Oh hey there cutie!" Kamatari purrs. Tsubame ignores him.  
  
Yahiko slips another halter over Soujirou.  
  
I bust into laughter. Chicken laughter.  
  
It sounds embarrassing.  
  
But they all look so DUMB!  
  
"What are you laughing at chicken?" Hiko asks me.  
  
"You're so dumb looking! All of you!"  
  
"And you're not dumb looking too?!" Misao asks, and tries to hold up Aoshi threateningly. It doesn't work, however, because he's stuck to her fur.  
  
Saitou goes into a corner to sleep or something, and Yahiko doesn't even want to TRY to cage the wolf.  
  
I don't really blame him.  
  
I realize that.......I hafta go to the bathroom.  
  
My life just keeps getting suckier and suckier. I groan and sit down. Maybe I can hold it in....... I groan again and shift around.  
  
Man, I gotta GO!  
  
Pfffftttt!  
  
Okay, maybe I just had.......gas.  
  
Everyone holds their nose- except for Misao, cause her hands are stuck to Aoshi too.  
  
"HEY!" Chou yells. "THAT STINKS!"  
  
"It's not like I can help it!" I shrug.  
  
A worm crawls into my cage, and immediately yells. "I am Jin-eh! The strongest thing alive!"  
  
I immediately eat him.  
  
Man, that tastes good.  
  
Whoever would have thought that such an ugly moron would be so good- tasting?  
  
Ohh no.............I'd just eaten JIN-EH!  
  
EWWWWWWWWWWW!  
  
But hey, at least he's dead. Gone to join Kanryuu in the flames of hell. The great lake of fire. I hope Kanryuu singes his fur, and I hope Jin-eh shrivels up into nothing.  
  
An orangutan looks around from the doorway. "MY PRETTY MISAO!" he yells, and dives for the cage with Misao and Aoshi.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" she screams, cowering in the corner.  
  
Okina the orangutan looks down at her and scratches his head free of ticks.  
  
"You're not as pretty as you used to be....... Hey, lookin' good Aoshi!"  
  
Aoshi glared at him.  
  
Soujirou's tail flicks off a fly and Kamatari's still whining about something or other. This is boring.  
  
I look around to see what I can do.......  
  
Nothing.  
  
Just then, Okina grabs onto the nearest cage and smashes it. Kaoru bursts out and immediately frees Kenshin.  
  
And I'm still in my cage.  
  
Wait a minute!  
  
Okina smashes every cage, and everyone escapes. WHAT?!  
  
Megumi's soon chasing me, and Misao's trying to hide behind Aoshi. Megumi grabs onto me and hauls me backward.  
  
"HELP!" I yelp.  
  
"Hey Tori-atama, I'm hungry......."  
  
"Eep!" I gulp.  
  
"And some chicken soup sounds really good......."  
  
And her mouth covers my throat.  
  
~^~^~^~^+^~^~^~^~  
  
"AHHHHHHHH!" I scream, sitting up.  
  
"Tori-atama!" Megumi calls, and grabs my hand.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I yell and try to escape. Then I notice that she's not.......a fox anymore.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Are you alright Tori-atama?!" she asks. "I just stuck this needle into you, and you fainted. You were also talking about bandages and the difference between cows, bulls, and steers. And then you said something about queer antelopes who weren't queer anymore......."  
  
I fainted again.  
  
~^~^~^~^+^~^~^~^~  
  
The end! ^.^ The next story will be about.......uhm.......Captain Souzou! Before he died of course. And then, there'll be a dream from Aoshi's POV, and then one from Kenshin's POV. After that, one from Megumi! At least, I'm pretty sure that's how I'll do it. Whatever.  
  
Oh, plz do email me your dreams! Or you can leave them in a review! They might help me with ideas!! ^.~ Try sending it to cute_kitten_kisses@yahoo.com or okashira_Misao@yahoo.com  
  
Anyway, HanyouGohan, if you're reading this, my name on Kenshin(dot)it is "Okashira Misao"  
  
^__^ Well, until next chapter ya'll! Ja ne!  
  
~~Okashira Misao  
  
PS. Plz review!!!! ^.~ 


	3. 3

Hello everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! ^.^ More humor? I dunno, I can try. I'm not really used to writing humor, cause it's.......hard I guess. Romance or angst is really more my style I think. ^-~  
  
HanyouGohan, yes I did post my story up on Kenshin(dot)it as "Miss Kaoru" but I changed my name because Misao's so much cooler. ^-^;;  
  
If you have any ideas for a dream that a character can have, review and tell me your idea! Or, of course, you can always email me. ^.~  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
What do you suppose everyone's favorite Captain dreamed about? Well, why don't you read and find out what I, the authoress, think Souzou Sagara dreamt about.  
  
Genre- Romance/Humor  
  
Characters- Souzou (Captain Sagara), Sanosuke, Katsu, Random members of the Sekihotai (sp?), and the cute girl down at the diner.......  
  
Point of View- Souzou's of course! ^.^ At the time he's dreaming this, he's, oh....... 23, and Sano and Katsu are 6 and 7 years old. Remember that! ^.^  
  
Pairings- Well, Souzou and the girl at the diner, but.......it's more humor than romance. I'm warning you! Lol!  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
Every day this happens. Sometimes, I just don't know WHY I took in those two boys. Them AND their game of hide-and-seek.......  
  
And for some strange reason, I still can't fathom why I'm playing this ridiculous game with them. How moronic.  
  
I can hear Sano's loud yelling in the background. I think he thinks I am deaf or something. I'll bet even Tsuka down at the diner can hear his yells.  
  
"Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen......."  
  
I wonder if he'll count to 100.......  
  
God, I hope not.......  
  
I'm sitting in a tree, of that much, I am sure. I really do like this sakura tree. It's right beside the lake outside of town. Not to mention I can sometimes see all of the different people entering and exiting the diner.  
  
The last time I played hide-and-seek, it was in the dead of winter. I nearly died out there waiting for those kids to find me. And after three hours of freezing to death, I went back to our little cabin to find them drinking hot tea and playing 'rock, paper, scissors'.......  
  
My sanity almost went that day.  
  
I'm not really trying to hide from them, because I WANT them to find me. But they're smart kids, they'll know if I want them to find me. So I can't be overly obvious. So I'm curled up in the branches of this tree with one leg hanging down.  
  
Hopefully, they'll think I 'accidentally' let my leg hang down in plain sight.  
  
A sudden sharp tug on my leg sends me grasping for something to keep myself from falling from the top branches. I don't wish death on myself just yet.  
  
I look down, ready to reprimand Sano and Katsu for being so mean when, to my utter surprise, I see Miss Tsuka perched in a lower branch pulling me down.  
  
How embarrassing.  
  
What am I going to tell her. 'Hey Miss Tsuka, I was just playing hide-and- seek with the two little boys that I've raised for several years now. I was letting them find me on purpose. Why? Because I don't like hide-and- seek.'  
  
Yeah right.  
  
"What are you doing up here Souzou-san?" she asks me.  
  
"I.......er......" I rub the back of my head nervously. What do I tell her? Well, honesty is the best policy, I guess....... "I'm playing hide- and-seek."  
  
"Oh," she answers, as if it's a perfectly normal thing for a man to play hide-and-seek. Then again, she doesn't know that I'm the captain of the Sekihotai. That's probably a good thing, ne?  
  
Good thing I don't have my sword. I would feel very stupid.  
  
Not to mention extremely unintelligent. Most men would be playing the western game of 'chess' or something.  
  
Not me. I play hide-and-seek in my spare time. Woo-hoo.......  
  
"Who're you playing with Souzou-san? Your girlfriend perhaps?"  
  
"Eh?!"  
  
I thought everyone knew that I don't have a girlfriend- or rather- anyone.  
  
"Actually.......I don't have a girlfriend......."  
  
"Well, do you have your eye on anyone?" she asks.  
  
Only you Tsuka.......  
  
Heh, heh, heh.......of course, I'm not saying THAT out loud.  
  
"Actually.......I do."  
  
"Who is it?!" she questions excitedly. "Tell me!"  
  
"I won't say."  
  
"Chicken," she teases, pouting when I don't relent.  
  
She looks cute when she pouts like that.  
  
Tsuka is a very pretty 19-year-old young woman who works down at the diner in town. Her hair is black, like mine, but her eyes are green while mine are blue.  
  
I guess you can say that I've got my eyes on her, but....... She doesn't know much about me, and I don't know much about her. I don't want her to think any less of me if she finds out that I am the Captain of the Sekihotai.  
  
Believe me, I've gotten some strange reactions before.  
  
But this little village was smaller then most- and very secluded. I think that it would be a fine place to settle down and raise a family.  
  
But I cannot do that until the war is over.  
  
Unfortunately.  
  
"Maybe so......."  
  
"So, where are the other members of this hide-and-seek game?"  
  
"Well......." I pause and listen.  
  
"Ninety, Ninety-one, Ninety-two......."  
  
"They're on #92," I tell her. "They'll find me soon, I hope."  
  
"Why would you give your location away?" she wonders. "I mean," she blushed. "Your leg was hanging down in plain sight......."  
  
"Actually, I want them to find me......."  
  
"Why would you want that? I thought the objective was to keep hidden until they give up."  
  
"You don't understand. Last winter, they wanted to play hide-and-seek. In the middle of WINTER. So I played, because they were bored and raising a ruckus in the house. And I hid. And waited for three hours in the cold until I tired of waiting for them to find me. I decided to find them. I searched for a couple hours before I went back home and.......would you believe it?! They were drinking hot tea and playing 'rock paper scissors' by the fire."  
  
She giggles and covers her mouth. "Oh my!"  
  
"Now do you understand?"  
  
She nods vigorously. "I do. I don't blame you for letting them find you now!"  
  
"Good."  
  
"CAPTAIN!" two little screams entered my head and I looked down.  
  
"Er.......good job Sanosuke, Katsu......." I mutter.  
  
And for once, I wish they wouldn't have found me.  
  
"WE FOUND YOU CAPTAIN SAGARA!" they scream, dancing a strange dance around the sakura tree. "WE FOUND YOU CAPTAIN SAGARA! WE FOUND YOU! WE FOUND YOU!"  
  
"Er yeah.......I realize that," I tell them. "Now boys, why don't you go back and see what Triksu can get you to eat?" I suggest.  
  
"Him?" Sano asks, pouting.  
  
"He can't cook worth anything Captain......." Katsu says, agreeing with Sano's thoughts. "You're a better cook Captain. Can't you cook for us instead?"  
  
"Who's this?" Tsuka asks.  
  
"Sano and Katsu," I answer. "I've been taking care of these two boys for, well, a long time."  
  
"Yeah!" Sano piped up, a broad grin etched on his face. "Captain's gonna let me have his last name too! When the war's over. And then I'll have a last name!"  
  
"Sanosuke Sagara......." she mutters. "That's a very nice name."  
  
"Anyway Captain!" Katsu shouts. "You've got to play another round with us!"  
  
"Another?" I echo.......  
  
Do I hafta?  
  
"Sure!" Sano told me. "Lady, would you play too?"  
  
Tsuka looks around. "Well, I suppose I have enough time for a round. Who's counting?"  
  
"ME!!!!" Katsu yells. "I wanna count!"  
  
"Okay," she said. "You stay up here and count. And remember.......NO peeking."  
  
"Yes ma'am!" he salutes.  
  
"Hey Lady?" Sano asks Tsuka. "Are you gonna marry the captain?"  
  
"Captain?" she asks, looking at me.  
  
"Er.......I'm the Captain of the Sekihotai......." I mutter.  
  
"How fascinating!" she exclaims. "And that's so kind of you to take in little Sano and Katsu......."  
  
"Well Lady!?" Sano asks impatiently. "Are you gonna marry him or not?"  
  
"I er.......well.......he never asked......." she blushed.  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
I am being jerked awake by a tugging force on my leg. I look down and see the ground far, far away. I must have fallen asleep while waiting for Sanosuke and Katsu to find me.  
  
Oh well.  
  
I look at the person tugging on my leg.  
  
Tsuka.  
  
Well, maybe this dream WILL come true.  
  
I certainly hope so.  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
^.^ What'd you think? Not as good as chapter 1 or 2, but.......whatever. ^-^ Just short and silly, kind of cute I suppose. I dunno, I wanted to write it out quickly so I could update! Lol! Anywayz, please review!  
  
~Okashira Misao 


	4. 4

Now, what was so great about chapter 2?! *sighs dramatically* Ah well, this chapter is.......*checks back* Aoshi! Yay! And after that it's Megumi! ^.~ And then Yahiko-chan! Heehee!  
  
Genre- Romance/Angst  
  
Characters- Aoshi, Misao, Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijou.......eh.......  
  
Point of View- Aoshi's, can't help but love him! He's so cute!  
  
Pairing- Aoshi and Misao  
  
Note: Actually, I've seen this dream in every last fic I read, but I have to try it out for myself, alright? *bows* Forgive my un-originality! Onto el ficco! ^____^  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
"No!"  
  
I am sick of this. I'm sick of it, physically, mentally, and emotionally. I want this to stop, to never play through my mind again.  
  
I try to demand it to stop. Demand it with my mind. But it does not stop.  
  
And I have failed.  
  
I am praying, even as I sit here on the wooden floor with bullets blazing, I am praying that the gatling gun will cease it's firing, and that my friends will be spared their lives.  
  
My legs burn from where I stand, bullets imbedded into my legs. I don't utter a sound as I drop to my knees. My calves cannot take the stress of standing. If I could only move, I might be able to make it to the gun myself.  
  
I attempt to stand, but am stopped before I can even get off of my knees. Shikijou stands before me, smiling down at me in triumph, a proud look on his face before he falls to his knees from the wounds in his back.  
  
And I thought that my legs hurt.......  
  
Shikijou, you fool. Why didn't you just let Kanryuu kill me, so that the four of you could live?  
  
I can only watch as Beshimi and Hyottoko do their suicide attempt, and die. And Beshimi's last words on his dying lips.......told me sorry.  
  
Sorry for what Beshimi?! Because you died for someone as stupid as myself? Why did I ever take this job to begin with?  
  
I ask myself as Hannya mutters something to the Battousai and dashes straight for the gun. Kanryuu laughs manically, even as I try to shout out an order for my best friend to stop.  
  
I just want my friends back.  
  
My head hangs low as I watch the blood pooling around my legs. I have failed my friends, I have failed as a leader. I am well aware of this fact as a thud echoes through the room. My head jerks up to see that the Battousai has tripped.  
  
How can a great assassin such as him TRIP?! My eyes widen when I realize that, because the Battousai has not reached his sword, there will be hell to pay. We will all die, I realize that. Battousai, his girl, and the boy and the gangster. Even the young doctor in the tower-room.  
  
Though she has a knife.  
  
Kanryuu swings the gun around before it lands on me. "Whom shall I kill first?!" he cackles madly, and I realize that that is indeed the truth. He is mad- insane. He would probably destroy everyone and everything in the mansion before giving up.  
  
A madman.......  
  
The gun swivels to the Battousai, and then to his friends. My eyes widen. His friends have done nothing! For them to die would be worse than slaying a village of innocent bystanders. It would be as if he was killing Misao.......  
  
Rage boils in me at the thought of that madman hurting my Misao.  
  
I know this is not the way that things happened in my past, but, everything changed when Battousai tripped a few minutes ago.  
  
I stagger to my feet completely ignoring- but still feeling- the pain in my legs. I can barely stand still, and my legs are quaking under my weight. Blood runs down my legs- I can feel the warm stickiness as it flows.  
  
I am almost surprised that it is blood running down my leg, and not water. At least I am not a man made of ice as I had thought. Not completely, anyway.  
  
"You......." My voice holds uncontained anger as I speak.  
  
First this ugly creature before me insults my friends and the Oniwabanshuu, and then.......and then he kills them.  
  
He will pay, even if I cannot deal his punishment out myself.  
  
"You bastard......." I growl. I am very much saddened and depressed by my friends deaths', yet I am not shedding tears. For I will be joining them in a short while.  
  
Kanryuu seems to notice how much my wounds ache, and trains his gun on Battousai's friends.  
  
"No!" I shout loudly, painfully. I do not even know these people, yet I am willing to do anything to spare their lives. Is it because the young woman reminds me of my Misao?  
  
"What do you care Aoshi?!" Kanryuu asks, obviously intrigued by my show of....... not quite affection- but something similar- for Battousai's friends. "You don't know them, do you? Because if you do, the Oniwabanshuu would have betrayed me, and for that, I will have to deal out deaths......."  
  
He laughs another insane laugh and pulls out the knife Beshimi managed to throw into the clip. "Now what will you do Aoshi?" he asks.  
  
I can feel my legs start to buckle, and yet, I cannot do anything to help. I cannot help the Kamiya girl, the gangster, the little boy, or the Battousai. I cannot help myself, and I hadn't helped Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko, or Shikijou.  
  
I was worthless as a man, and even more worthless as a human being. Even the boy stood up against me for Battousai's defense. He knew that he could not do any good, and yet.......he tried to fight me for Battousai.  
  
And I did not do so much as move through all of it.  
  
"Don't.......Don't such familiarity!" I manage to grind out. "You do not know me."  
  
Battousai stands on in wonder, and, he seems to gather his senses, heading for his sakabattou that is lying halfway across the room. Kanryuu immediately readies the gun to fire.  
  
What will the Battousai do, I wonder? If he goes for his sword, the girl, boy, and gangster will all die. If he stays where he is, Kanryuu might- no- he will kill us all regardless.  
  
Battousai halts in his steps and watches with hooded eyes that are still wide violet. He does not make a move for the sakabattou. Perhaps.......perhaps he is biding his time, believing he will have the time to grab the sword later.  
  
But I know better. Kanryuu Takeda is a madman, an insane lunatic, and he would kill them no matter what the Battousai or I did, he would kill them, making us watch them die, before killing us both in cold blood.  
  
And, I realize, that.......  
  
Though hate is a loathsome, harsh word.......  
  
I hate this man.  
  
And I have never hated anyone in my life. Ever.  
  
But I hate Kanryuu.  
  
I loathe him, despise him, with everything that I am.  
  
Which isn't much, now that I have failed the Oniwabanshuu.  
  
"Battousai," I mutter as loudly as I can, falling onto my knees again. My injured legs cannot hold me up any longer.  
  
"Yes?" he asks, and I believe he is surprised that I have said anything to him at all.  
  
"He.......he'll kill them......."  
  
"Silence!" Kanryuu yells.  
  
".............anyway......."  
  
My vision starts to blacken, but refuses to let me black out yet.  
  
He swivels the gun back to me, and bullet after bullet rushes by, some hitting, some not, and Battousai runs for his sword.  
  
But he will be too late to save me, I know. Before he even reaches his sword, a flash of blue appears in front of me, and I vaguely recognize a more mature voice of someone I know.  
  
"Kansatsu Tobi Kunai!" a young woman yells, throwing kunai after kunai at Kanryuu. "I finally found my Aoshi-sama, and now you're trying to kill him! Argh!"  
  
Inside, I smile. It is my Misao. That sounds exactly like something she would say. Kanryuu falls, and I look up through my blackened vision to see her unsteady on her feet.  
  
"Well, I got him!" she mumbles triumphantly, falling backward.  
  
"Misao!" I notice the blood seeping from her body. Thankfully, there is no blood anywhere fatal, but I am still worried about her well-being.  
  
I look around to see how Battousai might have fared. Battousai, the Kamiya girl, the boy, and the gangster were all gone. Perhaps they have gone to help the Takani woman. I hope so, for her sake.  
  
"I'm fine Aoshi-sama," she mutters, falling into my outstretched arms. I don't even remember stretching them out to catch her. "But I sure am glad to see you......."  
  
Her eyes close, and I panic. Is she all right?! Darkness overtakes me then, and I fall to the ground silently, my coat drenched in blood- mostly my own- and Misao's. And I feel my head hit the floor with a soft thud.  
  
~*~  
  
I awaken with sweat pouring down my body, my white yukata is soaked in it, and I feel sticky, as if I am burning hot yet chilly at the same time. My face suddenly gets cold, and I jerk my face away from the temperature I am unaccustomed to.  
  
But the cold keeps coming, and I open my eyes to see that Misao is kneeling beside me. She immediately brightens when she sees that I am awake.  
  
"I'm glad you're awake Aoshi-sama," she speaks, sounding somewhat sad. "You shouldn't have tried to walk all the way from Tokyo in the sleet and snow Aoshi-sama......." she scolds. "Now you're sick, and the doctor says no meditating for a few weeks. You have to stay in bed."  
  
She sighs and washes off my neck. The cool cloth feels good against my burning skin, and my eyes close, my head lying limp on her hand.  
  
She smiles and looks down at me. "Oyasumi nasái Aoshi-sama," she whispers, thinking I'm asleep. After looking around, she lays a light kiss on my forehead. "Sleep well......."  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
Oyasumi nasái - good night  
  
Ehh.......it's not too bad, but I could have done better I think. I think it's the I'm-going-tomorrow-to-look-for-a-job-jitters. Lol! I'm afraid nobody will hire me cause it's so late in the summer! ^___^;;;; But either way, it's all good. Wish me luck minna-san! (everyone)  
  
~~Okashira Misao  
  
PS. Please review if you will! It'd be nice. Humor? Eek, I'll try to put some humor in the next chapter or the chapter after. Soujirou will have a chapter soon as well. Poor Sou-chan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAHHHHHHH! *huggles poor Sou-chan and Aoshi* Traumatized men are so sad it's cuttteeee!  
  
*cries*  
  
REVIEEEEEEEEWWWWWW 


	5. 5 OLD!

Mwahaha! You have asked for a humor dream, you shall receive! But I am a liar! Sorry, this dream shall be about Yahiko! ^_^ Well, mostly anyway.......poor Yahiko, has a bad, bad dream....... I'd probably wake up crying in terror if I had this dream....... *snort* I'm glad I thought of it last night.  
  
OHHHH! And I'm glad some people liked the last chapter! ^-^ Uh, A/M is always and will forever be the best pairing ever. ^____^  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
Genre- Humor!  
  
Characters- Yahiko, everyone else  
  
Point of View- Yahiko's POV, of course.......  
  
Pairing- Yahiko and Tsubame are already together(in the dream).......^^;;  
  
Note: Try not to get creeped out by this fic, okay? Just.......try not to freak out and eat your computer. Uhm.......what else.......? Oh yes....... this isn't AU, but they talk about BINGO and stuff.......which I'm pretty sure they didn't play in Meiji Japan.......K?  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
I am sitting beside my lovely wife, who is.......wait just one darned minute.......I don't HAVE a wife.......do I?  
  
I look to my left and see Tsubame sitting beside me. Heyyyy who am I to complain?  
  
I glance down at myself to see that I am not 10 any more. Gee, where does time fly? I even look to be 18 years of age or so....... How cool is that?  
  
I'm all muscley and stuff.......Cool.......  
  
"Darling?" Tsubame asks me. Wow, it's going to take me some getting used to....... But I guarantee I like the sound of it.  
  
"Aa?"  
  
"Can we go to the Himura's?" she questions, turning the pages of the book she is reading.  
  
"I suppose," I answer. "I mean, I don't see why not. I'm sure the b- er- Kaoru would love to have us over."  
  
"I hope she's doing all right.......in her condition and all.......  
  
"Condition?" I question. "What condition?"  
  
"She's......." she whispers, and I catch it all, my face blanching white. (I won't say what she said)  
  
"What?! I don't believe you......." I mumble, chewing on the first thing I find, which happens to be a sewing needle.  
  
"Believe what you will Anata," she states, smiling confidently. "But please stop chewing on my needle......."  
  
"Oh. Sorry. When did you want to go?"  
  
"I was thinking.......oh.......today maybe," she blushes prettily and I feel my face stretch into a grin. She's so beautiful.......and only 17 years old too. I am one heckuva lucky man.  
  
"Well, it's only 11:00, so I think we have plenty of time," I state, standing up. "I don't have any students today....... Shall we go?"  
  
"Sure!" she smiles widely and grabs a bookmark to mark her spot.  
  
She stands beside me and takes my hand, and we make our way down the streets of Tokyo.  
  
~*~  
  
I open the door of the very, very quiet dojo less than a half hour later. The dojo's never this quiet.......  
  
"Hey BUSU!" I yell, running around in the halls, seemingly forgetting about Tsubame. I'm very curious to find out what's going on around here.  
  
"In here Yahiko-CHAN!" a voice calls, and even though it sounds nothing like Kaoru's, I know it is hers.  
  
It's coming from the kitchen. I yank open the door and gasp.  
  
Tsubame was right! I gasp and pant loudly, and my mouth refuses to work.  
  
She was right. Kaoru's......OLD.......  
  
"Ahh.......good morning Yahiko," she rasps, turning around.  
  
My jaw drops to the floor. She's so.......  
  
"Ahhh.......you've grown up....... Pick your jaw up, I'm taken. Though I know I'm sexy......."  
  
I nearly die at that statement.  
  
Kaoru's hair is grey and in a bun on her head, and she is wearing her favorite kimono, the yellow one, and her eyes are still blue but shrunken in. She is old.......  
  
Sexy? I think not.  
  
"Yes Yahiko, Miss Kaoru is mine......." another raspy voice cackles.  
  
I turn my head to stare at Kenshin, who doesn't look like Kenshin anymore. His eyes are beady and purple, and his hair is whacked off short, but it's still reddish.  
  
"Uh.......yeah......." I sweatdrop.  
  
"I hate to say it," Tsubame grins in my ear. "But I told you so."  
  
"Who told who what?" another person cackles, obviously hard of hearing....... It's Sanosuke, I know it. His hair looks the same, only it's grey, and his red bandana is rather.......threadbare. His skin hangs off his frame, making him resemble a skeleton.  
  
A woman clings to his arm, and she's old as hell too, I suppose she's Megumi.  
  
"Hey fox! Roosterhead!"  
  
"What?" Sano asks her.  
  
"He called you a pig dear."  
  
"Oh, okay." He scratches his chin. "Been a long time since I've seen ya last Yahiko," he grates, his mouth opening to reveal missing teeth. "Yer grown up."  
  
I nod, barely thinking straight.  
  
"Ahh," Megumi grins, little grey fox ears popping up in her grey hair. "Misao and Aoshi will be glad to see you Yahiko! Ohhohoho! They're in the other room!"  
  
"Dinner's almost ready minna!" Kaoru choruses.  
  
And I walk into the other room. My jaw drops to the floor again, and I take in the scene before me. An old woman with long, long grey hair (gee, guess who?) is making out with a tall, grey-haired guy.  
  
Oh dear God. I think my life is over. That is.......gross.  
  
Beyond gross even.  
  
Misao and Aoshi.  
  
The freaky thing about them, is that their eyes are still EXACTLY THE SAME. Isn't that strange? Over in the corner are people I recognize immediately from one characteristic or another. Enishi's white hair is.......still white, and Katsu still has on his green bandana, that's in basically the same condition as Sano's.  
  
And Soujirou, well, he's still got those perfect teeth.  
  
And he's smiling like an old fool.  
  
Which he is.  
  
But there is one person I don't quite recognize. He has large arms, but is very skinny, he's tall, and has deep dark piercing eyes.  
  
And he's yelling.  
  
"I'm old! I can't see! I can't hear! I can't breathe right!"  
  
"Quiet Hiko," Katsu soothes, long grey hair bouncing energetically.  
  
Hiko?! Oh dear.......I think I'm going to.......  
  
"DINNNERRRRR!" Kaoru yells, and I dash into the kitchen with everyone else to claim my food.  
  
"I can't walk either!" Hiko screams in an old man's voice. Well, he is an old man, now isn't he.  
  
When we were all seated together, I spoke up.  
  
"How old are all of you?" I wonder aloud, looking at each of them in turn.  
  
"It's impolite to ask a lady her age!" Kaoru cackles, and Megumi croaks out an 'Ohhohoho' too.  
  
"Actually, I'm 72," Misao croaks, her eyes on Aoshi the whole time.  
  
"82......." Aoshi answers.  
  
"74," Kaoru grudgingly admits.  
  
"84," Kenshin answers.  
  
"75," Sano chuckles. "I'm old."  
  
"78," Megumi 'ohhoho's'.  
  
"76," Katsu sighes.  
  
"I'm 75 too," Soujirou smiles.  
  
"I'm uh.......I forget......." Enishi thinks for awhile. "I think I'm 76.......but my memory's not what it used to be."  
  
"What about you Hiko?" I ask, turning to look at the.......er.......old guy.  
  
"Ehh......" he cackles.  
  
"Last time I checked, you were 43 and looking like a 25 year old. You have to be at least 500, because you sure look like you're about 250 years old."  
  
"Ehhhhhh I'm 91," he finally answers. "My age caught up to me 10 fold."  
  
"That's a scary thought."  
  
"Wow Jou-chan, your cooking just as crappy as always!" Sano cackles, eating the food.  
  
"Then why are you eating it?" Kaoru snaps.  
  
"I don't have any taste buds anymore......they all died or somethin'......."  
  
"My brain's malfunctioning!" Hiko cried, slamming his plate into his face.  
  
"Oh, never mind him Yahiko!" Kenshin smiled, beady violet eyes narrowed. "He's just......OLD......."  
  
"Nah shi-"  
  
"No bad language around the old folks, Yahiko-chan," Kaoru reprimanded. "As an old lady, I don't like hearing such language from a young whippersnapper such as yourself."  
  
Where did Tsubame go anyway? I can't believe she left me here all by myself with these old coots.  
  
"What?" Enishi asks, cocking his head.  
  
"Did you say something?" Katsu wonders.  
  
"I forget," Enishi answers.  
  
"Ohhohoho! This food sucks!"  
  
"What?" Enishi asks.  
  
".......More?" Aoshi requests.  
  
"Anything for you Aoshi-sama!" Misao gushes sickeningly, and I decide that I don't want to be old.  
  
Aoshi grinned, and I find out why he never ever smiled. His teeth are.......not there!  
  
He has no teeth! But then again, neither does Misao or Hiko, so I suppose it's all right for him to smile now.  
  
I wonder what Misao did when she found out?  
  
I snicker and get back to eating.......whatever it is I'm eating.  
  
"What is this, anyway?" I question her lightly.  
  
"Ehh.......I'm pretty sure it's Suzume pot pie.......and we have Ayame a la mode for desert!"  
  
Everyone cheers.  
  
I spit out my food and try to run.  
  
"HELLLPPPP!" I yell.  
  
The old folks have cornered me.  
  
"I'm going to make you old for calling me a 'busu' for so many years!" Kaoru snickers.  
  
"Yeah Yahiko-CHAN!" Misao leers.  
  
Soujirou just smiles.  
  
"I forget what I was going to say," Enishi sighs. "Again."  
  
And the old people pounce on me.  
  
I cover my head and.......  
  
~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~  
  
If you want more, please click the little box on the left that says 'submit review'. Thank you.  
  
But you won't get the next chapter until I get it written! Mwahaha! I hope I didn't creep you all out too much~! XD, any ideas for the next chapter? This is a CONTINUATION DREAM, where the next chapter is the 2nd half of the dream. ^^;;  
  
If you didn't like it, feel free to express your opinion. If it freaked you out, do tell. If you want more, by all means, TELL ME! ^_^  
  
Sayonara for now minna-san!  
  
~~Okashira Misao 


End file.
